Salman Khurshid to leave for Iran; India looks for access to Chabahar port

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will leave on Friday for a three-day visit to Iran, where he will co-chair the 17th India-Iran joint commission meeting. He will meet president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other senior officials.

India's participation in the five-stage upgradation of the Chabahar port will be a key issue under discussion, while the future of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline will also be on the table. India is likely to commit $100 million for the Chabahar port, which holds strategic significance for Iran, Afghanistan and India. The port near the Iran-Pakistan border is just 76 km away from the Gwadar port in Pakistan operated by China. India has expressed reservations about Chinese presence in Gwadar and its involvement in Chabahar is meant to both secure a route for movement of Indian goods to Central Asia and counter Chinese presence in the region.

"From the port, goods can move through the Milak bridge on the border of Iran and Afghanistan, onwards to the Delaram-Zaranj highway in Afghanistan, which connects to the Kandahar-Heart highway," a government official said.

India, Iran and Afghanistan have entered into agreements that ensure lower tarrifs and smooth passage for Indian goods through Chabahar. Pakistan does not allow movement of Indian goods through its territory. Chabahar provides the closest alternative for our goods to access Afghanistan and Central Asia.